WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. - A concussive boom radiated out from the launch pad as nine Arizona State University students watched a rocket carry their "nanosatellite" - and four years of their work - into the sky Saturday on its way to the International Space Station.

WASHINGTON - The American Opportunity Tax Credit lets people, including former inmates, claim a credit for college education expenses - unless they were convicted of a drug crime. Lawmakers are trying to lift that ban, saying someone jailed for drugs should not be denied benefits a murder can get.

WASHINGTON - Arizona universities suffered the largest percentage cuts in state aid to higher education since the start of the recession and saw the second-largest increase in student tuition at the same time, a new report shows.

WASHINGTON - Arizona school officials told a Washington forum Tuesday that the state has made strides in teacher recruiting and retention, but there is still a long way to go to fixing a problem that saw 21% of teacher jobs vacant at the start of this school year.

WASHINGTON - Arizona has long been at the forefront of the school choice movement, but State Treasurer Kimberly Yee told a Washington audience more can be be, as she joined others to support the Trump administration's proposed $5 billion Education Freedom Scholarship program.

WASHINGTON - Arizona schools started this academic year with 21% of all teaching positions vacant, and nearly half of the teachers who were on the payroll did not meet the state's certification standards, according to a new report. And that was an improvement from last year.

WASHINGTON - A congressional attempt to salvage a foundering student loan forgiveness program was only marginally better, with just 4% of Arizona applications approved in the second round - and that was four times better than the national rate.

PHOENIX – Congressional candidates and members of the Arizona Legislature spoke at a town hall about gun reform organized by 17-year-old Genesis Rivas, director of special projects for March for Our Lives Arizona.

WASHINGTON - Education and government officials called a $20 million grant for suicide prevention programs in Arizona schools an important first step to deal with a growing problem, even as they said much more needs to be done.